CV templates, How to write a great CV, CV samples – all was discussed at my CV Workshop in the Dublin City Library last night. Great attendance of over 70 people – all keen to pick up tips for writing a CV and Cover Letter to get them an interview. Well done to all who attended – proactivity such as this is always rewarded. It was a lively session with lots of great...

Delivering a workshop on CVs and Cover Letters recently I was approached afterwards by one of the (female) attendees who wanted my advice on how to explain on her CV what she termed a “tricky part” of her career to date. My imagination went into overdrive and I was expecting the worst. Then she revealed that she had gone on maternity leave from her job of 6 years prior to the birth of her...

I gave a How to Network your Way into a Job – Uncovering the Hidden Job Market workshop recently. Before I started I asked the large group in attendance what sprang to mind when they heard the word “Networking” . In no particular order (they are all equally awful!) here are their thoughts – cringe worthy, embarrassing, begging for a job, mortifying, bragging, brash,...

What makes an employer reject a CV? What are the 3 fastest CV turn-offs?
1. Glance test
Forget the fancy formatting - boxes, shading, borders or, worst of all, indiscriminate use of bold, italics, capitals and underlining all in the same sentence, for EVERY sentence of the entire CV. Your aim is to avoid making the person reviewing your CV instantly dislike you due to a busy layout where...

Over 70% of available jobs and contracts are never advertised. They are filled through recommendations from existing staff and professional and personal contacts of management and decision makers within the industry. Imagine you are Bill – a company owner and need to hire a new member of staff. Would you prefer to (a) put adverts in newspapers and websites and attract 1,000 applicants...